You were tasked with guarding the Sihang Warehouse, and you brought out a Tiger tank?

Commander Li, listening from the side, sighed repeatedly.

An airdrop order? This vast plain is filled with the sounds of artillery fire; who knows which ditch that iron tube will end up in?

Moreover, he and Lin Feng had already planned this out in their private telegrams.

They didn't actually intend to wipe out the 5th Division in one fell swoop.

Instead, they intended to use Itagaki Seishiro as bait to stage a grand "siege and attack reinforcements" play.

If we follow the principal's orders now and launch a full-scale attack regardless of casualties...

Even if they could defeat Itagaki, the 33rd Army itself would suffer heavy losses under a strong offensive.

More importantly, once Itagaki's troops are gone, the Japanese reinforcements that are on their way will definitely retreat immediately.

Finding another opportunity to annihilate them in open field battles would be as difficult as climbing to the sky.

But how can I tactfully explain this far-sighted strategic plan to this person?

Commander Li took a deep breath and winked at Deputy Chief of Staff Bai.

"Please, let's talk in private..."

-----

Meanwhile, they returned to the smoke-filled front lines in southern Shandong.

The 102nd Infantry Regiment of the 114th Division, which set off from Qingcheng Port to rescue the 5th Division, is currently making a difficult march on the dusty highway.

"Quick, keep up, don't fall behind."

The Japanese sergeant brandished his command sword and loudly reprimanded his soldiers.

Running, marching.

Thousands of Japanese infantrymen, dressed in khaki uniforms, formed a long, khaki-colored line on the highway, panting heavily.

The distance from Qingcheng Port to Linyi City via unpaved roads is approximately 300 kilometers.

According to the Japanese army's drill manual, a normal march should cover 25 to 30 kilometers a day, while a forced march should cover 40 to 50 kilometers.

Logically, they should have been traveling day and night to rescue the besieged 5th Division.

However, the vanguard of the 102nd Regiment had only covered 150 kilometers in four days.

We've just covered more than half the distance.

As for the reason...

"Buzzing—"

Suddenly, a Japanese sentry at the front of the column shouted in a piercing voice:

"Enemy planes! Enemy planes are attacking!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the clouds in the sky parted.

Four slender fighter jets with yellow noses swooped down from high altitude.

The Japanese infantrymen on the road didn't even raise their heads before they tumbled and scrambled off the road.

They expertly covered their heads, stuck out their buttocks, and plunged headfirst into the grass, ditches, or woods on either side of the road.

Several Japanese officers who were originally riding tall horses reacted even more quickly.

He flipped off the horse and scrambled into the bushes beside it, not even caring about his beloved Japanese horse.

There's nothing we can do; we're used to being bombed every day.

For the past four days, whenever they went onto the highway, they were subjected to a barrage of bombing raids by Da Xia aircraft.

"Chirp—Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Four BF-109 fighter jets flew low over the road, and the sixteen 50-kilogram small bombs they carried under their fuselages fell like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

Violent explosions rang out in succession on the highway, sending dirt and gravel flying into the air.

Several supply wagons that couldn't avoid the explosion were instantly blown to pieces.

Those tall Japanese horses, as well as the donkeys and mules that the Japanese had forcibly requisitioned from the villages along the way, were suddenly in deep trouble.

The severed limbs of Japanese soldiers, mixed with fragments of livestock, flew everywhere on the highway, and blood stained the yellow dirt road surface red.

Many Japanese infantrymen who were too slow to run and didn't have time to dodge were also violently thrown into the air by the blast wave and crashed heavily into the mud, their fate unknown.

After dropping the bombs, the four fighter jets did not leave.

Instead, it gracefully pulled up in the air, made a circle, lowered its nose again, and began its second dive along the road.

"Da da da da—"

"Thump thump thump—"

The 20mm cannon and the 7.92mm aircraft machine gun fired simultaneously.

The dense hail of bullets carved out shocking trails of dust on the highway.

Those Japanese soldiers who were not well concealed and even slightly exposed themselves immediately suffered the consequences.

When a 20mm cannon shell hits a human body, it's not as simple as just piercing a hole; it directly breaks a person in half at the waist or blows them into a cloud of blood mist.

Heart-wrenching screams echoed along both sides of the road.

A few minutes later, the four BF-109 fighters, having exhausted all their ammunition, flapped their wings and arrogantly flew away.

Until the plane from Daxia disappeared from sight.

Only a slow, drawn-out sound of a motor could be heard from the sky.

Several Japanese Navy Type 96 carrier-based fighter planes painted with the Japanese flag finally arrived late.

Unfortunately, the Type 96 carrier-based fighter's pitiful maximum speed meant it couldn't even catch the exhaust fumes of the BF-109, let alone catch up with and intercept it.

They could only helplessly circle above the Japanese marching column a few times to show that they had fulfilled their duty of protection.

"Baka..."

The Japanese infantrymen, covered in dust and dirt, crawled up from the grass on the ground.

They began to reorganize their ranks, gathering the wounded soldiers who were missing limbs.

Several sergeants, carrying rifles, walked up to the warhorses and mules that had been blown apart, their intestines spilling out, and were still neighing in pain.

"Bang! Bang!"

Several muffled gunshots finished off these poor animals, ending their suffering.

If it were a few days ago, when we had just set off...

These arrogant army idiots might still have the energy to point at the naval aircraft in the sky and hurl a few curses.

Those who criticized the Navy came too late; they were clearly just trying to make fun of the Army.

However, after four days of continuous and inhumane air raids.

These Japanese soldiers didn't even have the energy to curse anymore.

They listlessly gathered up the scattered equipment, hastily buried their companion's body by the roadside, and then re-formed their ranks.

Silence is Cambridge tonight.

The entire 102nd Regiment was filled with a deathly and oppressive atmosphere.

And so, the Japanese soldiers silently continued their journey.

After some time, they were on the highway from Wulian to Ju County.

Colonel Yoshihiro Akiyama, the regimental commander, was an extremely clever and cunning old Japanese soldier.

He learned from the lessons learned by other units after fighting Lin Feng's troops, and dared not ride a horse at all.

To avoid being killed by Lin Feng's elusive snipers, he even took off his conspicuous officer's uniform and put on an ordinary soldier's uniform without any special markings.

He mingled among the infantry, walking with uneven steps.

As Akiyama Yoshiyuki walked, he secretly made plans in his mind.

Once they reach Ju County ahead, they will be close to the 5th Division, which is surrounded.

Hopefully, we can find a weak point in the Great Xia army's encirclement in that area and assist Lieutenant General Itagaki in breaking through.

As for the North China Area Army Headquarters' requests in the telegram regarding "blossoming from the center" and "counter-encircling the 33rd and 20th Corps of the Great Xia Army"...

Akiyama Yoshiyuki sneered inwardly.

Haha, let whoever wants to do it do it.

General Terauchi Hisaichi sat in his office in Beiping, completely unaware of just how terrifying the firepower on the front lines was.

With just his infantry regiment, which was bombed and was missing major generals, how could he possibly counter-encircle Lin Feng's main force, which was equipped with heavy artillery and tanks?

Isn't that just going to your death?

What made Yoshihiro Akiyama even more uneasy was...

In order to assemble this rescue force, Qingcheng Port's defenses are now extremely weak.

The once vast port city was now reduced to a single infantry company and a marine battalion.

In addition, there were some hastily assembled traitors and puppet troops who had no fighting ability whatsoever, who were on the defensive.

If Lin Feng were to send a surprise force to attack Qingcheng Port, the consequences would be unimaginable.